


Running

by chaoticrandomness



Series: Personified Fairytale [3]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 22:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3357785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticrandomness/pseuds/chaoticrandomness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinjiro, Minako, SEES, and a sort-of fairytale inspired a bit by Big Hero Six.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running

Once upon a time, there lived a man who’d spent half his life running, running from death and loss and guilt….

 

At first, it was easy for him to ignore the fire and just stay in the happy memories, but they’d faded over the time, leaving him only with flames and dead people….

 

_Why didn’t you just run back into the building and save them? Why did you, of all people, stumble upon the door? What’s so special about you that enabled you to live, when everyone else in there died?!_

(In all honestly, given the choice between death and guilt, he’d choose the former.)

 

* * *

 

His death comes as a complete surprise.

 

One minute, he’s running again, trying to defeat the flames and guilt. The next minute, someone grabs him and runs a sword through his chest, laughing as he falls to the ground….

 

(Maybe it’s better that someone else killed him.)

 

The world’s turning red as his killer pulls out another sword and stabs him, but all he can see are flames and chaos and dead people….

 

(He should’ve died. He shouldn’t have found an exit and just kept running, ignoring Aki and Miki and everyone else, leaving them to their fate of getting burned to death by the inferno….)

 

* * *

 

“.....I have no medical knowledge, so I’m sorry if I did anything horrible to you by accident, and I know I’ve been sitting here trying to talk to you, even though you probably can’t hear me…..” someone rambles, as he opens his eyes to a girl with red hair standing over him, for some reason….

 

(Shouldn’t he be dead? Or maybe he’s dead and about to go to hell. Or something….)

 

“You’re awake?!” she exclaims, sitting down in a nearby chair. “I’m sorry if I’ve already introduced myself, but-”

 

She’s cut off by someone jerking the door open, letting it slam against the wall with a bang.

 

_If you are here to pass judgement…. I don’t want you to tell me that I’m a good person. Please be honest._

* * *

 

“.....Minako…. ah, what exactly is going on right now?” her brother asks, staring at her and the man in her bed, most likely drawing some sort of vulgar conclusion from this situation.

 

“I’m not doing anything vulgar.” she answers, getting up out of the chair.

 

“....ah, yes, I’m aware of that… but why is there a random person in your room, and how did he get here….” he rambles.

 

“Well, what was I supposed to do when I took a walk and ended up running into some lunatic stabbing him with a bunch of swords?! Leave him there and let him die?!” she exclaims, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring at him.

 

_And no, don’t bring up that I could’ve died as well. I’m perfectly capable of defending myself against sword-wielding lunatics._

_Got it?!_

 

* * *

 

“If you want me to leave, I can do so.” he says, causing Minako to release the person with dark hair and the pair of them to turn towards him.

 

(Why did she save him?! All he’s done is run from things….)

 

“....no, we’re not going to do that, you’re clearly not in any sort of stable physical state….” the dark-haired man rambles as a woman with short brown hair walks into the room, joining the clump of people staring at him.

 

_…..okay, are you here to judge me? Because I want you to be honest and realize that I’m not a good person…._

_I could’ve saved them from the fire, and I ran instead…._

(Unfortunately, she also wants him to live. Why couldn’t he just’ve died from those swords…..)

 

* * *

 

His sister is one of the last people he’d expect to be a good nurse, but maybe she’s toned down her energy levels a bit when caring for her patient.

 

(Granted, he hasn’t actually observed her all that much, for he’s been more concerned about getting Fuuka out of her room, trying to figure out what happened to Junpei, and discussing with Yukari about what to do once his sister’s patient recovers.

They’ve come to a consensus that he should stay here, they’re just working out the details.)

 

He’s wandering around the hallway when he accidentally walks into a girl with blonde hair that’s wearing all black…..

 

“You are very handsome. Are you the patient?” she asks in a monotone voice.

 

“.....he’s in the next room….” he says, trying to figure out who exactly this is and how she got here….

 

“....ah, I’m sorry if she bothered you, but I…. uh, have been creating her…. to, um, help you….” Fuuka rambles, walking towards him.

 

(So this is what she’s been doing in her room.

 

He’d like to know how exactly this is possible, but it does make that giant pile of rumors about magical girls in towers and castles make a bit more sense…..)

 

* * *

 

If someone’d told him that he’d stop running and wanting to die thanks to the help of an over-energetic, red-haired girl…. he’d have told them they were crazy.

 

But that’s exactly what’d happened.

 

(Minako Arisato knows a grand total of nothing about the fire. She believes that he’s a good person…..)

 

“.....so, anyways, tell me more about yourself! I’ve just been talking at you the whole time, and you probably know more about me than…. um, your parents? Siblings? Closest friends?” she asks, opening the window.

 

_Yes, I do. I do know more about you than most people I’ve developed emotional connections to._

(Admittedly, that’s because they’re all dead, but still….)

 

“Um…. yes, that’s true…. I’m-” he begins.

 

_….someone who keeps running from grief, and…. who…. nevermind then…._

“A person who had the misfortune of being stabbed by some lunatic? Who doesn’t like talking to people, but is probably really nice? Who’s pretty handsome, and um…. sorry if I’m talking too much?” she rambles, as the sunlight flows into the room, illuminating her face.

 

_No, you’re not. You also…. happen to be…._

“If someone set this building on fire, what’d you do?” he asks.

 

(Why did he just say that? She doesn’t need to know anything about the truth!)

 

“....I’d…. try to save you…. and my brother and Yukari and Fuuka? I know that everyone would answer that, but….” she rambles, grabbing his hand for no reason….

 

_You are a much better person than I am…. so I shouldn’t tell you-_

“Why’d you ask me that? If you’re worried, I could just find a way to fireproof the entire building.” she says, still holding onto his hand, her grip preventing him from falling back into the flames….

 

_No, I’m not. Don’t concern yourself with me, for you have better people to worry about._

“You are the patient, correct? How is your pain?” a girl with blonde hair asks, dashing into the room and standing over him and Minako.

 

_I don’t want to talk about this with random people…._

“I’m sorry, but who exactly are you?” Minako asks, as the room darkens for some reason…. although it’s probably because they’re standing in front of the window, but that doesn’t explain why it’s so cold for no reason….

 

“....I was created to assist your brother. Please call me Aigis.” she answers, placing her hand on his chest. “How is your pain?”

 

_Can you please stop repeating that?!_

“He doesn’t seem to like talking to people, and your name’s really pretty. Do you know if this building can catch fire?” Minako asks, turning away from him but still holding his hand….

 

“....any building can set on fire, if given the proper conditions. Are either of you afraid of it?” Aigis asks as he desperately wishes for her to stop talking, for flames are fluttering in front of his eyes….

 

(If this building went up in flames, who would he save?

 

Himself? Minako? Minako and her brother and Aigis and everyone else who lives here?

 

Admittedly, that question doesn't really work out, as he can't even walk right now....)

 

* * *

 

The world had suddenly gone completely still.

 

One minute, people were walking into his room to discuss something. The next minute, everything’d stopped as the room grew darker as his limbs and mind grew heavier and heavier….

 

_“Do you wish to die?”_

(If they’d asked him a month ago, he would’ve said yes instantly. Now, on the other hand….)

 

A flash of lightning illuminates the room…. and everyone’s collapsed…. they…. can’t be dead, cannot have chosen to die….

 

_You must live on._

“I’m sorry…..” he says, and he doesn’t know if he’s apologising to himself or Aki or Miki or Minako or some other person entirely as he runs out the door, energy pulsing through his veins…..

 

* * *

 

_….the building’s on fire and everyone’s panicking and I have to-_

Why was he thinking of the fire right now?! All he had to do was stop this darkness and actually save people for a change, instead of letting them all die….

 

(Willpower is the only thing keeping him alive right now. Every single other part of his body wants to shut down, succumb to this darkness and just die….)

 

_….where is everyone where is the door what am I supposed to do except for run…._

He’d keep running…. he had to, to find the source of this mess…. lightning strikes again, and he keeps running, not caring that the world’s suddenly turning icier and colder….

 

_Minako…._

* * *

 

The lightning flashes again, this time illuminating the someone’s face, the face of a man with white hair who’s gripping someone’s arm….

 

_…..Aki?_

_Great, are they now using ghosts to try to get me to die?!_

The ghosts and the flames drift in front of him, but they don’t matter…. for if he dies, everyone else is going to as well, so he can’t follow them….

 

Lighting is flashing everywhere around him, but he doesn’t know if he should follow it or if it’s just another ploy to kill him…. and another face is illuminated this time, one of a masked man in black….

 

_I…. have to…. find him…._

The world begins to burn around him…. but this time, he’s burning as well…. yet he keeps running, running towards the masked man, for he’s the cause behind this mess….

 

(Are the flames just an illusion?

 

Either way…. he can’t undo the past. But he can head into the future…..)

 

* * *

 

“Where were you?! What happened?!” someone exclaims. He opens his eyes to Minako standing over him….

 

(Was it all just a dream? A strange dream of a dark hour….)

 

“....what do you think happened?” he asks, sitting up in the bed.

 

“Um…. you showed up here with a bunch of other people, were hallucinating that you were on fire and seeing ghosts, and collapsed? Honestly, you really shouldn’t have gotten out of bed….” she answers, sitting down in her chair.

 

(She doesn’t remember the darkness, then…. he doesn’t recall much of it either….)

 

“By the way, what’s your name? I never asked you that.” she says.

 

“....Shinjiro Aragaki…. thanks for helping me, Minako.” he answers, beginning to smile. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yet again, sorry if this isn't really all that fairytale-ly or has too many loose ends, but I hope you like it...


End file.
